Sticky Chilli Chicken Noodles

Ingredients

• 500 g chicken thigh fillets, cut into strips
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 15 g fresh ginger, finely grated
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 300 g egg noodles
• 1 red pepper red pepper, thinly sliced
• 150 g pak choi, halved or quartered
• 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
• Quick pickled red cabbage slaw, to serve
• Fresh parsley, to serve

Method

1. Whisk the sweet chilli, soy, rice vinegar, honey, garlic and ginger in a small bowl. The rice vinegar is doing real work here — it cuts through the honey and stops the glaze tasting one-note sweet. Set aside.
2. Bring a pan of water to the boil and salt it generously — the noodles should season as they cook, not arrive bland. Cook the egg noodles to the packet timing, drain, rinse briefly under cold water to stop them clumping, and set aside.
3. Pat the chicken strips dry with kitchen paper and season generously with salt and pepper. Wet chicken steams; dry chicken browns — that's the whole game.
4. Heat the oil in a wok or heavy frying pan over high heat until it shimmers. Lay the chicken in a single layer in two batches — crowd the pan and the meat sweats and boils instead of caramelising. Leave undisturbed for 3–4 minutes until deeply golden underneath, then stir-fry for 2 minutes more until cooked through and bronzed at the edges. Tip onto a plate.
5. Drop the red pepper and pak choi into the hot wok and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes — the pepper should soften slightly and the pak choi stems should still snap when pressed. The garlic and ginger are going in via the glaze in a moment, so keep the heat moving and don't let anything catch.
6. Return the chicken to the wok and pour in the glaze. Toss for 1–2 minutes until it tightens and turns glossy and mahogany — watch the garlic in the glaze closely, it should smell fragrant and turn pale gold, not bitter and burnt. Off the heat, add a final squeeze of lime or extra splash of rice vinegar if it needs lifting. Taste — most of the salt comes from the soy, but adjust now, not at the table.
7. Add the drained noodles and toss for a final minute until heated through and slicked in sauce, every strand catching the glaze.
8. Pile into bowls, shower with the sliced spring onions and toasted sesame seeds, and serve straight away while the glaze is still glossy.